Italy expels Eritrean ambassador

The Italian foreign ministry has given the Eritrean ambassador to Italy 72 hours to leave the country in an apparent tit-for-tat expulsion. The announcement follows the Eritrean government's expulsion, earlier this week, of the Italian ambassador to Eritrea, AFP reported on Tuesday. The expulsion of Tsegai Mogos came just hours after Antonio Bandini left his ambassadorial post in Eritrea on the orders of the Eritrean foreign ministry. The Eritrean government was reportedly angered by a statement that Bandini, who also held the position of the European Union (EU) representative to Eritrea, had submitted on behalf of the EU protesting against recent political arrests and the indefinite closure of the country's independent press.

In announcing Tsegai's expulsion, the Italian foreign ministry also said that the EU would be revising its existing trade and development agreements with Eritrea. "The European Union emphasizes that the expulsion of the EU representative seriously compromises relations with Eritrea," the statement said. Last month Eritrea appealed for US $200 million in foreign aid to pay for its demobilization and reintegration programme, designed to help the country deal with the aftermath of its two-year border war with Ethiopia. Italy is the largest single foreign donor to Eritrea, its former colony.